    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [November 30, 2004]
    [Pages 3019-3025]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada in Ottawa, Canada
    November 30, 2004

        Prime Minister Martin. Good afternoon. The President and I had a
    very good discussion during the past few hours, both one-on-one and with
    Cabinet members and officials at the table. The President and I have had
    a productive meeting.
        In fact, we agreed to put forward an agenda in which our two nations
    will cooperate in a practical way towards common goals. From this work
    plan, a set of concrete milestones will be established in the new year.
    Furthermore, while this is a bilateral effort between our two countries,
    it is trilateral in ambition, and we'll be inviting our Mexican partners
    to join us, obviously, in this project.
        This work plan is aimed at achieving practical results for the
    people of our countries, enhanced security, greater prosperity, and
    improved quality of life. And it's about working together to advance
    democratic values and fundamental freedoms around the world.
        To do this, we've identified specific priorities and will task
    individuals within our respective governments with the responsibility of
    making these files move. We will bring new energy and tangible goals to
    this old and deep friendship. The objective is lasting progress and
    benefits for people in both countries.
        Here at home, we will collaborate further to ensure our shared
    border is closed to terror but open to the safe movement of people and
    goods, which is so integral to our economic success. We'll focus on
    ensuring that our businesses have the capacity to compete with
    entrenched and emerging global competitors. We'll work together to make
    sure that we apply smart regulation that raise standards in both
    countries, and reinforce our mutual efforts to protect the environment,
    to fight crime, to stop traffic in humans and illegal drugs, and enhance
    our ability to combat infectious disease.
        Abroad, we will cooperate in our efforts to foster democracy and
    help find a path to peace in the Middle East, protect civilian
    populations from grave threats, and build and protect the democratic
    institutions that are so important to the ability of troubled states to
    recover and to thrive--to multilateral cooperation in the world, and we
    will be forceful advocates of free trade, whether that be in North
    America or in the early completion of the Doha round.
        At all times, we'll be vigilant in countering and combating
    terrorism and halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
        Now, given the wide variety of areas that have been encompassed in
    corresponding

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    the need to ensure direction and focus, I've asked the Deputy Prime
    Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to work with the relevant
    ministers to oversee the efforts that we have now laid out before us and
    to report to me directly on progress in all areas of this work plan no
    later than next June.
        President Bush and I are well aware that the prosperity of our
    nations, our status as open societies, and the well-being of our
    democratic institutions are linked now to the integrity of our
    collective security. And the work plan will be an important step forward
    toward the mutual protection of our citizens, our values, and our way of
    life.
        Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. Laura and I are so pleased to be here in Canada. We thank you
    for your warm hospitality. Thank you for the meetings we've had. And I'm
    proud to be standing with the Prime Minister. He's a strong leader. He's
    a statesman who's helping to build a better world. I want to thank you
    for your leadership and friendship.
        Canada and the United States share a history, a continent, and a
    border. We also share a commitment to freedom and a willingness to
    defend it in times of peril. The United States and Canada fought side by
    side in two World Wars, in Korea and the Persian Gulf, and throughout
    the cold war. Today, we're standing together against the forces of
    terror. Long-term success in this war requires more than military might.
    It requires the advance of liberty and hope as the great alternatives to
    hatred and violence.
        All free nations appreciate Canada's leadership: leadership of the
    security and stabilization mission in Afghanistan; leadership which
    helped make possible the first free nationwide election in that
    country's history. Afghanistan is a world away from the nightmare of its
    recent past, Mr. Prime Minister. It is building a decent and democratic
    future, and I want to thank you for your help.
        Once again, people in that part of the world have demonstrated the
    power of liberty to overcome great challenges. Your vision is clear on
    that, Mr. Prime Minister, and I can't thank you enough for that.
        We're also standing with the brave people of Iraq, who are preparing
    for elections on January the 30th. Both of our nations have a vital
    interest in helping the Iraqi people secure their country and build a
    free and democratic society. I want to thank the Prime Minister's
    resolve and his support for this great cause. The Canadian Government
    has pledged more than 200 million U.S. in humanitarian aid and
    reconstruction assistance and have agreed to relieve more than 450
    million U.S. dollars in Iraqi debt. A free and democratic Iraq is rising
    in the heart of the Middle East. The success of liberty there will be a
    decisive blow to the ideology of terror and a model to reformers and
    democrats throughout the region.
        As we seek freedom for the Afghan and Iraqi people, America and
    Canada are working to further the spread of democracy in our own
    hemisphere. In Haiti, Canada was a leader along with the United States,
    France, Chile, and other nations in helping to restore order. Canadian
    police are standing watch in Haiti at this hour, and the Prime Minister
    just visited the country to further the cause of political
    reconciliation. I appreciate your briefing on your visit.
        Prime Minister Martin and I share a vision of a free and democratic
    Western Hemisphere in which every nation upholds human dignity, and we
    will work together to realize that vision.
        Prime Minister Martin and I also discussed the situation in Ukraine.
    I informed the Prime Minister that I talked this morning to President
    Kwasniewski of Poland. President
    Kwasniewski will again lead a delegation, which will include a
    representative of the European Union, to the Ukraine to encourage the
    parties to reject violence and

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    to urge the parties to engage in dialog toward a political and legal
    solution to the current crisis. Our common goal is to see the will of
    the Ukranian people prevail. The Prime Minister and I want to thank
    President Kwasniewski for his efforts, and we wish him all the success.
        We also discussed ways to strengthen the security partnership that
    for more than six decades has helped to keep this continent peaceful and
    secure. We talked about the future of NORAD and how that organization
    can best meet emerging threats and safeguard our continent against
    attack from ballistic missiles.
        We talked about our common commitment to securing our border.
    Canadians and Americans benefit from the free movement of people and
    commerce across the world's longest unfortified border. Yet, we must
    work to ensure that our ports of entry are closed to terrorists and
    criminals and deadly weapons. Under the Smart Border Action Plan, our
    two nations have developed more secure travel documents, increased our
    intelligence sharing, improved the collection and dissemination of
    passenger and customs data, and adopted better rules for processing
    visas. Under the NEXUS program, we're expediting transit for trusted
    travelers at 11 border crossings.
        We discussed the vital links of commerce and trade that unite the
    Canadian and American people. Today, total trade between our two nations
    stands at nearly $400 billion; 23 percent of America's exports come into
    your nation; more than 80 percent of Canada's exports go into my
    country. Trade is important. America and Canada seek for the world the
    same open markets that are essential to our own prosperity. We're
    committed to the success of the Doha development agenda. We will
    continue to work to reduce agricultural subsidies that distort trade.
        Listen, the relationship between Canada and the United States is
    indispensable to peace and prosperity on the North American Continent.
    The United States is fortunate to have a neighbor with whom we share so
    many ties of values and family and friendship. We look forward to even
    stronger relationships in the years to come.
        Thank you for your hospitality.
        Prime Minister Martin. I noticed, Mr. President, you seem to draw a
    larger crowd than I do. [Laughter]
        President Bush. I don't know if that's good or bad. [Laughter] It
    all depends on who shows up, I guess.

    Canada-U.S. Relations

        Q. My question is for President Bush, and then, Prime Minister, if
    you would respond en Francais, s'il vous plait?
        In the days after September 11th, thousands of Canadians went to
    Parliament Hill to demonstrate solidarity with the U.S. and, in fact, in
    cities across the country. Yet, public opinion polls and other evidence
    suggest that now, today, our peoples are, in fact, diverging, that, in
    fact, our peoples are drifting apart. Why do you think that is? And do
    you have any responsibility for it?
        President Bush. You know, I haven't seen the polls you looked at,
    and we just had a poll in our country where people decided that the
    foreign policy of the Bush administration ought to be--stay in place for
    4 more years. And it's a foreign policy that works with our neighbors.
    Trade between our countries has never been stronger, but it's a foreign
    policy that also understands that we've got an obligation to defend our
    security. I made some decisions, obviously, that some in Canada didn't
    agree with, like, for example, removing Saddam Hussein and enforcing the demands of the United Nations
    Security Council.
        But the agenda that the Prime Minister and I talked about is one
    that--where most people should agree: that we'll work to fight disease
    and poverty on the continent of Africa, for example; that we'll work to
    make sure our hemisphere is--trades as freely as possible; that we'll
    work to make sure that the Afghan people continue to

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    enjoy the fruits of a democratic and free society; and that it's
    important for Iraq to become a democratic society, and I think it will
    be.
        Now, look, I fully understand there are some in my country, probably
    in your country and around the world, that do not believe that Iraq has
    the capacity of self-government, that they're willing to sign those
    people up for tyranny. That's not what I think, and that's not what a
    lot of Americans think. And they believe that democracy is possible in
    Iraq. That's a legitimate point to debate. But I'm the kind of fellow
    who does what I think is right and will continue to do what I think is
    right. I'll consult with our friends and neighbors, but if I think it's
    right to remove Saddam Hussein for the security of the United States,
    that's the course of action I'll take. And some people don't like that.
    I understand that, but that's the good thing about a democracy, people
    can express themselves freely.
        I, frankly, felt like the reception we received on the way in from
    the airport was very warm and hospitable, and I want to thank the
    Canadian people who came out to wave--with all five fingers--for--
    [laughter]--for their hospitality. [Laughter]
        Prime Minister Martin. I know what you mean, Mr. President. I
    mentioned to the press who was with us in Chile that I found that we--
    that Spanish and English and French are three different languages, but
    that sign language is universal. [Laughter]
        There is no doubt that, when one examines the values that we share,
    they are, indeed, the same. When the President was talking about the
    Ukraine, we have the same ideas about Ukraine; the same goes for Africa.
        Obviously, there are disagreements on various questions of foreign
    policy. There are disagreements in terms of commerce--softwood lumber.
    We discussed that question. In fact, we discussed BSE. It is quite
    normal among countries to have this kind of disagreement. But we have
    common shared values, shared ambitions, and we share optimism also. I
    think that that is what is fundamental.

    Ukraine

        Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Scott
    Lindlaw with the Associated Press.
        Q. Mr. President, President Putin said
    today that the political crisis in the Ukraine must be solved without
    foreign pressure. I wonder if you took that as some sort of warning
    toward the United States and whether you think he's lived up to his own
    words.
        President Bush. I haven't seen his comments so I'm hesitant to talk
    about something that I haven't seen--his quote. But I would tell you
    that, like I said in my opening statement, I appreciate the efforts of
    President Kwasniewski of Poland to
    lead a delegation into the country to help resolve the differences among
    the parties in a peaceful way. It's very important that violence not
    break out there, and it's important that the will of the people be
    heard.
        I'm aware of what the Prime Minister of Canada said yesterday about
    foreign involvement, and he had a very strong statement to--for
    countries to make sure that the process is fair and open, and that's
    what we're dedicated to.
        And I want to again thank the President of Poland,
    Kwasniewski, for taking the lead. I--
    as best I could, I tried to encourage him to continue to play a
    constructive and useful role. And hopefully, this issue will be solved
    quickly, and the will of the people will be known.
        Prime Minister Martin. Well, I'll just simply pick up. What I said
    yesterday was that the essence of democracy is that elections be free
    and open and transparent and that they be elections in which people can
    have confidence. And if you can't have confidence in the elections, then
    obviously, that there's a major flaw in your--in their democracy. I also
    said that I absolutely agree that elections within Ukraine have

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    got to be free from outside influence, and that includes Russia.

    Mad Cow Disease/Trade Issues

        Q. I'm going to ask my question in French, but it will be for the
    both of you, so Mr. President, if you could put the translation on.
    [Laughter]
        President Bush. Maybe I don't want to know the question. [Laughter]
        Q. Of course you do. The mad cow crisis has been going on for a year
    and a half. It has cost millions of dollars to our farmers, and now they
    are blocking slaughterhouses. Mr. President and you, Mr. Prime Minister,
    what are you doing to settle the question right now?
        Prime Minister Martin. The question--what she said--I'll translate--
    was, don't you think Canada has a great Government? The--[laughter].
        President Bush. Yes. [Laughter]
        Prime Minister Martin. Did you understand the question?
        President Bush. Well, yes, I did. I heard the question. Want me to
    start?
        Prime Minister Martin. Sure.
        President Bush. Look, the Prime Minister has expressed the--a great
    deal of frustration that the issue hasn't been resolved yet, and I can
    understand his level of frustration. There are a series of regulations
    that are required by U.S. law, and the latest step has been that the
    Agriculture Department sent over some proposed regulations to handle
    this issue to what's called the Office of Management and Budget. This is
    a part of my office. I have sent word over that they need to expedite
    that request as quickly as possible.
        I fully understand the cattle business. I understand the pressures
    placed upon Canadian ranchers. I believe that, as quickly as possible,
    young cows ought to be allowed go across our border. I understand the
    integrated nature of the cattle business, and I hope we can get this
    issue solved as quickly as possible.
        There's a bureaucracy involved, and I readily concede we've got one.
    I don't know if you've got bureaucracy here in Canada or not, but we've
    got one in America, and there are a series of rules that have to be met
    in order for us to be able to allow the trafficking of cows back and
    forth, particularly those 30 months and younger. So we're working as
    quickly as we can. And I understand the impact it's had on your industry
    here.
        Prime Minister Martin. I'll just continue, obviously. We discussed a
    number of contentious issues concerning BSE. As the President has just
    said, I expressed our frustration. Having said this, last week the
    President announced a very important step, the reference to the American
    Agency. And we hope that after a reasonable amount of time--we hope it
    won't be too long--we hope to obtain a favorable decision.
        At the same time, we also discussed the question of softwood lumber.
    And once again, we expressed our frustration, and we said that a better
    way will have to be found to solve our differences. The system in place
    at the present time does not correspond to the reality of exchanges
    between our two countries. We'll have to find a better way.
        On BSE, I believe that the President took a significant step last
    week in making the reference to the OMB. And one very much hopes that
    the time delays which are set out can be cut short simply--as a result
    of the fact that this has been studied to death. And of course, what
    we're really looking for is a scientifically based answer, and I think
    that the science has clearly demonstrated that a decision should be
    taken and a favorable decision to Canada should be taken as quickly as
    possible.
        We discussed other issues as well. Softwood lumber was another one
    in which we not only raised the issue but also said that there is
    something the matter with the dispute settlement mechanism that simply
    allows these kinds of things to go on and

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    on. And we believe that, in fact, we've got to find a better way.

    Iran

        Press Secretary McClellan. Steve Holland
    with Reuters.
        Q. Thanks, Mr. President. Are you prepared to take Iran to the
    Security Council over its nuclear program? And are you disappointed the
    IAEA did not take a harder line yesterday?
        President Bush. The Iranians agreed to suspend but not terminate
    their nuclear weapons program. Our position is, is that they ought to
    terminate their nuclear weapons program. So I viewed yesterday's
    decision by the Iranians as a positive step, but it's certainly not a--
    it's certainly not the final step. And it's very important, for whatever
    they do, to make sure that the world is able to verify the decision they
    have made. And so we've obviously got more work to do.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        President Bush. Well, I'm--he said I sound skeptical. It's taken a
    long time to get to the stage where Iran is willing to suspend. Think
    about all the hours of negotiations that our friends the French, the
    Germans, and the Brits have used to get them to suspend a program. What
    we're interested in is them terminating a nuclear weapons program in a
    verifiable fashion, and we'll continue to work with our friends.
        The Prime Minister and I have discussed this issue. We discussed it
    at the G-8 in Sea Island, Georgia, and we continue to discuss it. He's
    got a very clear vision of this as well, and I appreciate his
    understanding that the world will be better off if Iran does not have a
    nuclear weapon.
        Prime Minister Martin. Whether it's Iran, whether it's North Korea,
    I think that the world came to a very important decision many, many
    years ago, in terms of nuclear proliferation. Canada certainly, given
    the fact of our natural resources, we could be a nuclear power, and
    there were wise heads at that time that prevailed. And I would hope that
    that view would be held universally today by those countries.

    Canada-U.S. Border

        Q. My question is to President Bush. After September 11th, there
    were complaints that the Canada-U.S. border was too porous. Since then
    there have been many changes. But can you please expand on your vision
    of the border in the future? Does North America need a common security
    perimeter? And as an aside, how do you think Canada decriminalizing
    marijuana would affect the border? [Laughter]
        President Bush. It will probably affect those who use marijuana a
    lot more than it will affect the border. But the--we've got an
    obligation to defend our respective countries, and I am impressed by the
    Prime Minister's commitment to work jointly to share intelligence and to
    share information so that we can prevent those who would do harm to
    either the United States or Canada from being able to do so. Now--which
    presents a challenge. And that is, how do we make sure those who are
    coming from the United States into Canada are known to both sides and/or
    vice-versa? And at the same time, how do we make sure that we expedite
    trade and commerce?
        And I think we're making very good progress toward that end. We
    spent some time talking today about issues in Windsor and Detroit.
    Believe it or not, the Prime Minister had that on his mind. And the
    amount of equipment that has been added there is substantial. The
    management of lanes is productive. The Deputy Prime Minister talked about perhaps the need for an additional bridge,
    which he asked us to consider.
        My point is, is that I believe it is possible to be able to deal
    with terrorist activity and illegal activity and, at the same time, have
    a robust commercial relationship. And a lot of it has to do with using
    technologies in an effective way, and we're making good progress. And
    obviously, there's more progress to be done, and I'm impressed

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    by the Prime Minister's commitment to work in a very close fashion to
    deal with somebody who may be willing to do harm to either of our
    countries. And that really is the first step toward making sure we're
    secured.
        Yes.

    Marijuana

        Q. [Inaudible]--the issue of marijuana----
        President Bush. I don't have a comment on what you're doing
    internally about that.
        Prime Minister Martin. I just like doing press conferences with you.
    You get all the questions. [Laughter]

    Intelligence Reform Legislation

        Press Secretary McClellan. John King
    with CNN.
        President Bush. Yes, King. Why don't you ask the Prime Minister a
    question. You heard him----
        Q. I was just about to apologize for disappointing the Prime
    Minister. [Laughter]
        Mr. President, I'd like you to answer critics back home who say that
    they think you're trying to have it both ways on this intelligence
    reform bill, that you say you want the legislation, but they don't see a
    sustained effort, both publicly or privately, to challenge the members
    of your own party who are blocking the bill, like, say, you have done
    without hesitation many times when it comes to Democrats blocking your
    judicial nominees.
        President Bush. Yes. Well, I want a bill. Let's see if I can say it
    as plainly as I can--I am for the intelligence bill. I have spoken with
    Duncan Hunter, Representative Hunter, about
    the bill. I spoke with Representative Sensenbrenner about the bill. Vice President Cheney today is meeting with members of the 9/11 Commission
    about the bill. I am--I believe the bill is necessary and important and
    hope we can get it done next week and look forward to talking to Speaker
    Hastert and Leader Frist here before the week is out to express to them why I
    just told you in public I'm for the bill--again.
        Thank you.
        Prime Minister Martin. Thank you.
        President Bush. Gregory [David Gregory, NBC News], the Prime
    Minister needs a translator. [Laughter]

    Note: The President's news conference began at 2:13 p.m. at the Lester
    B. Pearson Building. In his remarks, he referred to President Aleksander
    Kwasniewski of Poland; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and
    President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Prime Minister Martin referred to
    Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan and Minister of Foreign Affairs
    Pierre Pettigrew of Canada. A portion of the Prime Minister's remarks
    and some questions from the Canadian press were in French, and a
    translation was provided.